The latest twists in ESPN's Thursday night college football games, which have been rising from relative obscurity to a high-profile perch, include more big-name teams. For the first time, each game this season includes at least one team from the six conferences that get automatic berths in the Bowl Championship Series.

Revenge is best served cold, especially after a year-long wait. College football teams are often the beneficiaries in this situation. The reason? Because losing teams must almost always wait until the following season to attain payback.

Doug Flutie always figured he'd go into broadcasting and wanted to call college football action, not pro. "The NFL would be easier because of the carryover in players," he says. "I just enjoy college football more. There's so much cynicism in the NFL a lot of attitude."

Floyd Landis, who made the cycling world rethink what's possible in the Tour de France, is USATODAY.com's U.S. Olympic Athlete of the Week. Other nominees: Brad Walker, who cleared 6 meters in the pole vault, and sprinter Tyson Gay.

Doug Flutie has a pretty good idea of whether he'll retire and expects to announce his decision within a week. Flutie, 43, said Saturday he has spoken regularly with New England coach Bill Belichick and wants to consider all his options including offers to go into broadcasting before making an announcement.

The Patriots sat out their stars with an eye toward the playoffs. The Dolphins also kept rolling toward the future. Miami won its sixth straight game, its longest winning streak in 13 seasons, in a 28-26 win Sunday over New England, which will host Jacksonville in a wild-card game next week.

With a glut of starters resting because of a combination of injuries or a concern about potential injuries, some NFL rosters resembled law firms more than familiar NFL names: Nall, Parker, Rosenfels and Flutie were some of the day's unlikely stars.